This invention relates to cat litter boxes, particularly, a disposable cat litter box which is prepackaged with cat litter.
It is conventional and well known in the prior art for households having cats to provide a cat litter box for the cat, particularly when the cat is a house pet residing primarily indoors. Consequently, many devices have been designed to retain cat litter. Typically, cat litter boxes are formed of a hard plastic material open at the top and typically rectangular in shape. Cat litter is separately packaged in a bag requiring that the cat litter be poured into the litter box. After usage, it is necessary to discard the cat litter and clean the litter box. This is a particularly messy and unpleasant duty which must be repeated regularly. Therefore, many attempts have been made to develop a superior and less time consuming system for disposal of cat litter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,544 to Noonan exemplifies prior attempts to overcome the unpleasantness associated with clean up of cat litter boxes. Noonan describes a disposable cat litter box formed of paperboard. The box is substantially rectangular in shape open at the top and closed at the bottom. The box is provided with a horizontally oriented and inwardly extending border about the open end of the box to prevent the loss of litter during usage. The litter box of Noonan is disposable and specifically designed to receive cat litter but not to merchandise cat litter. Thus, use of the Noonan litter box still requires that cat litter be poured from a separate bag into the litter box. Cat litter is a granular material which is easily spilled if care is not taken when pouring it into the litter box. Also, sufficient cat litter must be poured into the litter box to provide adequate absorption during use; however, too much cat litter in the litter box may result in cat litter being kicked out of the box by the cat during use. It is, therefore, apparent that some care must be exercised when placing cat litter from the bag into the cat litter box insuring that an adequate amount, but not a surplus, of the cat litter is used. The present invention provides a disposable cat litter box prepackaged with cat litter for overcoming these prior art difficulties.
The cat litter box of the present disclosure provides many advantages over the prior art device for the manufacturer, retail stores and the customer. Prepackaging cat litter in a thin package provides many advantages to the manufacturer by reducing handling costs. The thin rectangular box-like package of the present disclosure stacks better than bags for transportation and reduces the risk of damage associated with bags which may be easily torn. The ability of the box of the present disclosure to be stacked enables accurate counting of the boxes in a shipping load. Also, the cat litter boxes of the present disclosure may be banded together in convenient size lots for more efficient loading for shipment, thus further reducing shipping costs.
The dual function of the cat litter box of the present disclosure provides similar advantages to retail stores. The folded or collapsed arrangement of the cat litter box is particularly suited for stacking, taking up less shelf space than bags of cat litter. Broken cat litter bags are eliminated. The dual function of the cat litter box of the present disclosure also eliminates the need to stock both bags of cat litter and cat litter boxes. The flat, thin rectangular package shape of the cat litter boxes of the invention permit stacking anywhere in the retail store which may be aesthetically displayed.
The advantages to the consumer are numerous. The prepackaged design of the present disclosure eliminates purchase of both a bag of cat litter and a cat litter box. The cat litter box of the present disclosure is prepackaged with a predetermined amount of cat litter so that each box may be used for approximately one week. The design of the cat litter box enables the customer to easily carry two or three boxes. When not in use, the boxes may be conveniently stored on a shelf in the garage or the like. This eliminates purchasing a 20 or 25 pound bag of cat litter, a portion of which is to be periodically poured into a cat litter box. The prepackaged design of the disclosed cat litter box insures that the proper amount of cat litter is used, thus eliminating measuring or waste of cat litter. Often times, a small amount of cat litter is left in a bag which is not enough for use in the litter box and is, therefore, discarded. The disclosed litter box eliminates waste of cat litter.
The litter box of the present disclosure is provided with a large open top area defined by the upstanding side walls forming the litter box. A relatively large opening is preferred by cats. The side panels or walls of the litter box extend above the level of cat litter in the box a sufficient distance to reduce the amount of cat litter which may be kicked over the sides of a cat.
The litter box of the disclosure may be conveniently closed and locked for disposal. Closing the litter box reduces the odor associated with litter boxes by sealing the litter box upon closure.
The litter box of the present disclosure is portable and reusable. This is very convenient for travel. The litter box may be opened and closed as required and moved from place to place until such time as the litter box is ready for disposal.